Miniature Building Blocks

ABSTRACT

A miniature building structure system, including bricks and panels, which provides finer detailed structures. The ratio of brick dimensions is unique and allows greater building definition over current brick systems.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the filing priority of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 63/017,128, titled “MINIATURE TOY BUILDING BLOCKS” andfiled on Apr. 29, 2020. The '128 application is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to miniature toy building blocks. Morespecifically, the invention relates to the design and manufacture ofultra-miniature toy building blocks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

University of Pennsylvania professor of Urbanism, Witold Rybezynski hasfound that the earliest mention of building bricks for children appearsin Maria and R. L. Edgeworth's Practical Education (1798). Called“rational toys,” blocks were intended to teach children about gravityand physics, as well as spatial relationships that allow them to see howmany different parts become a whole. In 1837, Friedrich Fröbel inventeda preschool educational institution Kindergarten. For that, he designedten Froebel Gifts based on building blocks principles. During themid-nineteenth century, Henry Cole (under the pseudonym of FelixSummerly) wrote a series of children's books. Cole's A book of storiesfrom The Home Treasury included a box of terracotta toy blocks and, inthe accompanying pamphlet “Architectural Pastime”, actual blueprints.

There are numerous physical, social, intellectual and creative benefitsto users of these miniature building blocks, including:

Physical benefits: Toy blocks help build strength in a child's fingersand hands and improve eye/hand coordination.

Social benefits: Block play encourages children to make friends andcooperate and is often one of the first experiences a child has playingwith others. Blocks are a benefit for the children because theyencourage interaction and imagination. Creativity can be a combinedaction that is important for social play.

Intellectual benefits: Children can potentially develop theirvocabularies as they learn to recognize and describe sizes, shapes, andpositions. Math skills are developed through the process of grouping,adding, and subtracting, particularly with standardized blocks, such asunit blocks. Experiences with gravity, balance, and geometry learnedfrom toy blocks also provide intellectual stimulation.

Creative benefits: Children receive creative stimulation by making theirown designs with blocks.

Some of the better and lesser-known bricks, blocks and related buildingmaterials that have been enjoyed through the years by children andadults alike include:

-   -   ANKER (ANCHOR) STONE™ Blocks;    -   Unit block, a popular standardized wooden toy block;    -   KAPLA® and KEVA® Planks, wooden block construction toys;    -   LEGO®, a line of unique plastic building bricks that interlock        for virtually endless combinations;    -   Lincoln Logs®, a toy consisting of notched miniature logs;    -   Stickle® Bricks, a plastic construction toy primarily intended        for toddlers;    -   Froebel Gifts, a range of educational materials first used in        the original Kindergarten;    -   Montessori sensorial materials, a range of educational materials        including wooden blocks;    -   TiNKERTOYS®, consisting of interconnecting rods and wheels;    -   RASTI™, an Argentine toy block;    -   TENTE™, a Spanish toy block; and    -   ZOMETOOL™, a USA-made system of advanced building blocks.

However, these systems and devices have been predominately developed forand directed toward young children for play and development. However,building hobby enthusiast, which tend to be adults, typically look forsystems which allow for more precise, accurate, detailed, and elaborateconstruction. This tendency has created a need for systems with smallerand more intricate pieces.

Until the invention of the present application, these and other problemsin the prior art went either unnoticed or unsolved by those skilled inthe art. The present inventive system provides a miniature buildingblock system which includes components in numerous dimensions and shapesto perform multiple functions without sacrificing design, style oraffordability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed herein an improved structure building system whichavoids the disadvantages of prior devices while affording additionalstructural and operating advantages.

Generally speaking, the disclosed building system comprises a miniaturebuilding brick having a height, length and width and comprised of a topwall, four identical sidewalls, and at least one cylindrical studpositioned on the top wall. Each of the top wall and sidewalls comprisea wall thickness, and a wall-thickness to height to width ratio of1.0:2.09:10.35.

The disclosed building system is comprised of a plurality of firstmolded miniature brick structures having a height and width defined by atop wall and four sidewalls, and at least one cylindrical studpositioned on the top wall, each of the top wall and sidewalls having awall thickness, wherein each of the plurality of bricks comprises awall-thickness to height to width ratio of 1.0:6.3:10.35, and aplurality of second molded miniature brick structures having a heightand width defined by a top wall and four sidewalls, and at least onecylindrical stud positioned on the top wall, each of the top wall andsidewalls having a wall thickness, wherein each of the plurality ofbricks comprises a wall-thickness to height to width ratio of1.0:2.09:10.35. Each of the at least one cylindrical studs for theplurality of first molded miniature brick structures and the pluralityof second molded miniature brick structures has a height to diameterratio of 2:1.

In all specific embodiments, the plurality of first and second moldedminiature brick structures are interlocking. Further, the plurality offirst molded miniature brick structures and the plurality of secondmolded miniature brick structures comprise an open bottom defined by thefour sidewalls and the at least one cylindrical stud friction fitswithin the open bottom.

In all specific embodiments, each of the plurality of first and secondmolded miniature brick structures comprises a length which variesbetween brick structures.

A preferred embodiment of the system comes with a plurality of theseuniquely sized bricks, panels and other components, which are miniaturecompared to current brick systems.

These and other aspects of the invention may be understood more readilyfrom the following description and the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject mattersought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, whenconsidered in connection with the following description, the subjectmatter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and manyof its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of astandard 2×4 brick illustrating relevant measurement for a comparison ofsize ratios between current building bricks and the miniature buildingbricks of the present application;

FIG. 2 is an end view of a standard brick, illustrating relevantmeasurements for a comparison of size ratios between current buildingbrick cylindrical studs and the miniature building bricks cylindricalstuds of the present application;

FIGS. 3A-C are a collection of views of a standard 2×4 brick of anexisting brick system showing relevant measurements;

FIGS. 4A-D are a collection of views of a standard 1×2 brick and astandard single stud brick from an existing brick system showingmeasurements using a normalized unit of 1.6 mm;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of a standard single stud brick from anexisting brick system, including measurements;

FIGS. 6A-D are a collection of views of a 2×2 miniature brick of thepresent brick system, including relevant measurements;

FIGS. 7A-D are a collection of views of a specialized 1×2 miniaturebrick panel of the present brick system, including relevantmeasurements;

FIGS. 8A-D are a collection of views of a single stud miniature brickpanel of the present brick system, including relevant measurements; and

FIGS. 9A-D are a collection of views of a standard 2×4 miniature brickof the present brick system, including relevant measurements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail at least one preferred embodiment of the invention with theunderstanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as anexemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intendedto limit the broad aspect of the invention to any of the specificembodiments illustrated.

The invention of the present application is directed to a miniaturizedbuilding brick system. By the terms “miniaturized” and “miniature” it ismeant to refer to building bricks in the system having a small size moreextreme than similar building bricks currently on the market (e.g.,LEGO®). The miniature bricks of the present system allow more detailedconstruction by requiring more bricks to be used for a similar-sizedstructure made with other brick systems. The disclosed system isanalogous to a high-resolution image, which uses smaller pixels (and,therefore, more pixels) than a normal-definition image, to create asharper, more detailed picture.

As shown in FIG. 1, a standard brick 10 of the present system iscomprised of a substantially hollow, molded, plastic body 12 having foursidewalls 20 and a top wall 22, leaving a bottom side 24 open. Aplurality of identical cylindrical studs 16 are positioned uniformly onthe top wall 22. A friction fit for the cylindrical studs 16 is createdwithin the body 12 by cylindrical supports 30, such that the studs 16can be inserted within spaces 32 created between the supports 30 andsidewalls 20.

The disclosed bricks 10 include a regular brick 10R (FIG. 9) and a shortbrick 10S (FIG. 8), which are distinguished by two different heights forthe four sidewalls 20. However, both brick versions include a variety oflengths, including but not limited to the most popular sizes, 1×1(single stud), 2×1 (two studs), 2×2 (four studs), 2×3 (six studs), and2×4 (eight studs). All of the bricks from these two versions can beinterlocked with one another, as is known in the art.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, measurement of wall thickness (A), height(H), width (W) and length (L) of a brick are illustrated. The wallthickness (A) is the measured thickness of each of the four sidewalls 20used to form the body 12 of the brick 10. The top wall 22 is notincluded as a measure of the wall thickness. The width, height andlength measurements of the brick are straightforward, as shown.

FIGS. 3-5 are directed to an existing brick system for comparisonpurposes. With reference to FIGS. 3A-F, the dimensions of a standard 2×4brick are illustrated. FIGS. 4A-D illustrate a 1×2 prior art brick withmeasurements using a normalized unit of 1.6 mm. FIG. 5 illustrates across-section of a single stud and body portion from a standard brick,including relevant measurements.

With respect to existing bricks (OLD), the standard dimensions for astandard 2×4 brick are about 1.6 mm (wall thickness-A), 9.6 mm(height-H), 15.8 mm (width-W), and 31.2 mm (length-L). The standard 2×4brick of the present disclosed brick system has measurements of 1.15 mm(A), 7.2 mm (H), 11.9 mm (W) and 23.9 mm (L), which can also bevariable.

However, the present brick system is not about just reducing the brickdimensions but altering the various dimensions relative to oneanother—i.e., the ratio—to provide a more useful and realistic buildingbrick for hobbyist. The prior art bricks have a ratio (A:H:W) of about1:6.0:9.87, while the same ratio for the present bricks is 1:6.3:10.3,as set forth in TABLE 1 below. The lower sidewall thickness allows asignificant material savings without deviating from the accepted visualdimensions of a building brick, as shown by the H:W:L ratios alsoprovided in TABLE I below.

TABLE I Brick Dimension Comparison (2 × 4 brick) OLD System (mm)Miniature Brick (mm) Wall Thickness (A) 1.6 1.15 Height (H) 9.6 7.2Width (W) 15.8 11.9 Length (L) 31.2 23.9 Ratio (A:H:W:L) 1:6.0:9.87:19.51.6.3:10.3:20.8 Ratio (H:W:L) 1:1.65:3.25 1:1.65:3.32

As important a measurement as those shown above, the cylindrical studdimensions for the new brick system provide a more secure connectionbetween bricks due to the greater height of the stud 16. For example,the ratio of the stud diameter (D) to height (H_(s)) for the OLD systemis 3:1, while the same ratio for the present bricks is 2:1. That is, thestud height of the present system is 12.5% greater, but the studdiameter is 25% shorter. Further, the stud height (H_(s)) to brickheight (H) ratio for the old system is 1:6, but only 1:4 for the currentsystem, as shown in TABLE II below.

TABLE II Stud Dimension Comparison OLD System (mm) Miniature Brick (mm)Diameter (D) 4.8 3.6 Height (H_(s)) 1.6 1.8 Ratio (D:H_(s)) 3:1 2:1Ratio (H_(s):H) 1:6 1:4

Clearly, the stud dimensions differ between the two brick systems (Oldvs. New), as do the various ratios of the brick and the cylindrical studused in both systems. These differences are carried over to other bricksizes (e.g., 2×1, 2×2, 2×3, etc.) as well. Of course, special bricks,such as those illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8—where the body portion 12 hasa height of only 2.4 mm and/or only a single stud—can be made using thecylindrical stud dimensions only. This assures compatibility with thestandard bricks 10.

As previously noted, FIGS. 3-5 illustrate embodiments of a toy buildingblock of the prior art. The particular blocks are comprised of arectangular base having an open side and a substantially hollowinterior, and at least one cylindrical-shaped stud on at least oneexterior surface. The blocks are configured such that thecylindrical-shaped stud tightly fits within the hollow interior throughthe open side. The result is a stacking of the blocks. Creative use ofdifferent size and color blocks allows a user to construct uniquestructure.

FIGS. 6-9 illustrate a few embodiments of miniature bricks, including2×2 bricks, 1×2 panels, single stud panels, and 2×4 bricks. Thedimensions of each brick embodiment are shown as well. Of course, thesebricks and panels can come is most any size, so long as the disclosedratio is maintained. For example, bricks may be 2×6, 2×8, 2×10, etc.Miniature building panels are half the height of bricks, meaning thatstacking two panels will result in a brick-sized structure.

Finally, the miniature bricks are uniquely made to maintain theirdetail. The bricks are meticulously crafted using injection moldingtechniques.

The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanyingdrawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation.While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants'contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended tobe defined in the following claims when viewed in their properperspective based on the prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A miniature building system comprising: aplurality of first molded miniature brick structures having a height andwidth defined by a top wall and four sidewalls, and at least onecylindrical stud positioned on the top wall, each of the top wall andsidewalls having a wall thickness, wherein each of the plurality ofbricks comprises a wall-thickness to height to width ratio of1.0:6.3:10.35; and a plurality of second molded miniature brickstructures having a height and width defined by a top wall and foursidewalls, and at least one cylindrical stud positioned on the top wall,each of the top wall and sidewalls having a wall thickness, wherein eachof the plurality of bricks comprises a wall-thickness to height to widthratio of 1.0:2.09:10.35; wherein each of the at least one cylindricalstud for the plurality of first molded miniature brick structures andthe plurality of second molded miniature brick structures has a heightto diameter ratio of 2:1.
 2. The miniature building system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of first and second molded miniature brickstructures are interlocking.
 3. The miniature building system of claim1, wherein the plurality of first molded miniature brick structures andthe plurality of second molded miniature brick structures comprise anopen bottom defined by the four sidewalls and the at least onecylindrical stud friction fits within the open bottom.
 4. The miniaturebuilding system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of firstmolded miniature brick structures comprises a length which variesbetween brick structures.
 5. The miniature building system of claim 4,wherein each of the plurality of second molded miniature brickstructures comprises a length which varies between each brick structure.6. The miniature building system of claim 1, wherein the sidewallthickness is 1.15 mm.
 7. The miniature building system of claim 1,wherein each of the at least one cylindrical stud comprises a height of1.8 mm.
 8. A miniature building brick having a height, length and width,the brick comprising: a top wall; four identical sidewalls; and at leastone cylindrical stud positioned on the top wall; wherein, each of thetop wall and sidewalls comprise a wall thickness, and a wall-thicknessto height to width ratio is 1.0:6.3:10.35.
 9. The miniature buildingbrick of claim 8, wherein the at least one cylindrical stud comprises adiameter to height ratio of 2:1.
 10. The miniature building brick ofclaim 8, wherein the length of each brick varies based on the number ofcylindrical studs on the top sidewall.
 11. The miniature building brickof claim 10, wherein the number of cylindrical studs is 1, 2, 4 or 8.12. A miniature building brick having a height, length and width, thebrick comprising: a top wall; four identical sidewalls; and at least onecylindrical stud positioned on the top wall; wherein, each of the topwall and sidewalls comprise a wall thickness, and a wall-thickness toheight to width ratio is 1.0:2.09:10.35.
 13. The miniature buildingbrick of claim 12, wherein the at least one cylindrical stud comprises adiameter to height ratio of 2:1.
 14. The miniature building brick ofclaim 12, wherein the length of each brick varies based on the number ofcylindrical studs on the top sidewall.
 15. The miniature building brickof claim 14, wherein the number of cylindrical studs is 1, 2, 4 or 8.